


Impulsive decisions

by AngelaFaye11



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Brightwell bickering, Capable!Bright, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Sassy Brightwell, Sexual Tension, Sparring, proof that Bright was actually in the FBI
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24806455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelaFaye11/pseuds/AngelaFaye11
Summary: Dani and Malcolm are punished for disobeying a direct order.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 44
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My Brightwell Mafia](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+Brightwell+Mafia).



> For the sake of this one shot, Malcolm has tested for and earned his credentials to carry a firearm on duty with the NYPD.   
> -FDI is “Firearm Discharge Investigation”  
> This will be a 2-3 chapter fic. There will be smut. 

Malcolm’s eyes took in the expansiveness of the room around him. The abandoned factory was massive. That wasn’t new information; but once they were inside, with only their group of four and one five-man tactical team, the task before them felt daunting. Somewhere in this enormous building were three men, traffickers, and the four missing teenage girls they’d taken. When they geared up, the nine people in the conference room seemed like enough. Now, it was obvious that they were woefully undermanned. 

Gil silently turned and pointed instructions for the group to split up and cover more ground. Malcolm and Dani were paired and told to cover the rest of the first floor. Gil and JT were taking the second, while the TAC team were splitting themselves between the third floor and the basement. 

The groups dispersed and Dani looked at Malcolm. He nodded for her to lead and followed close behind. The two of them weaved in between the large machines and assembly lines on the factory floor. Dani was practically running. It wasn’t hard to tell that this case was especially important to her. It had been almost twenty-four hours since the girls had gone missing and she hadn’t slowed down since the call came in. None of them had slept or ate more than a few bites in passing while on the run, constantly one step behind these men. Malcolm didn’t have to be a profiler to notice that with each passing hour, Dani was getting more desperate. 

Even now, she was rushing, neglecting to thoroughly check in each direction before moving forward. Malcolm did his best to cover the places she was missing, but there was only so much he could do while still keeping up with her. He was relieved when they made it across the open floor and reached a set of hallways on the other side. 

Dani approached the first door in the hallway and turned to Malcolm. As she reached for the handle, he raised his gun and inched toward it. When she threw the door open, Malcolm entered. The room was small and completely empty. 

“Clear,” he whispered. 

They continued this pattern for the rest of the rooms in the hallway, each as vacant as the one before. With every unoccupied room, Dani was growing increasingly frustrated. They turned left at the end of the corridor and she stopped. Malcolm tensed, immediately looking over her shoulder for whatever threat must have been in front of her. Twenty feet away, at the dead end of the hall, a door to a room was open slightly. A beam of light exited the crack, leaving a strip of yellow on the floor and wall. Voices drifted toward them. 

Dani was already walking toward the door. He reached out and tapped her shoulder and she turned, annoyed. 

Malcolm silently pointed to his ear in an exaggerated gesture. She furrowed her brow in response, as though she didn’t understand what he meant. 

_ You absolutely know what I mean, _ he thought rolling his eyes at her. 

Dani reached up dramatically and touched her earpiece, “First floor. Northeast hallway.” 

“All teams to that location,” Gil responded. “Hold until we’re there.” 

The second command was clearly meant for her and Malcolm. But as soon as she’d radioed their position, Dani continued toward the end of the hallway. 

Again, Malcolm tapped her arm, harder this time. When she looked back at him, he turned his palms up and shook his head. 

_ What are you doing? _

She answered by squinting at him. It was a challenge and he knew it. On a different day, when it was a single suspect they were looking for, he might have fallen for it. But they were outnumbered, with four additional lives to consider besides their own. Those odds were nowhere near favorable. Malcolm stared back at her and shook his head. 

Dani’s expression shifted from a playful challenge to genuine agitation. She turned and kept walking toward the door anyway. 

_ Seriously?  _

Begrudgingly, Malcolm followed. If she was hell bent on going in, he certainly wasn’t going to let her do it alone. 

They reached the door and Dani carefully peeked through the crack. Every few seconds, his eyes checked the other end of the corridor, anxious to see their reinforcements turn the corner. Dani held her hand up behind her, first showing three fingers, then four. 

_ They’re all here. _

He nodded, his eyes again searching for Gil and the rest of the team. 

Dani’s hand was on the door. Malcolm grabbed her wrist and pulled it away. 

“Wait!” he mouthed, soundlessly. Dani jerked her arm out of his grip and glared at him. As soon as she did so, a resounding smack and subsequent scream came from inside the room. 

Dani burst through the door, gun raised, “NYPD! Put your hands in the air!” 

Malcolm had no choice but to follow her. Two steps into the room, he saw the girls, tied and terrified against the far wall. But there were only two men guarding them. 

“Dani, where’s the oth--”

The butt of the pistol slamming into the side of his head echoed in his ears. He was on the floor for a split second before the resulting wave of pain hit him. Malcolm squeezed his eyes together tightly, trying to unblur his vision. As he pushed himself up, a shot went off and adrenaline surged through him, focusing his sight. 

_ Dani? _

His head whipped in her direction, a mistake given the blow he’d just taken. Thankfully, Dani was standing, gun pointed; the trafficker who had been in front of her was lying on the ground, groaning in agony. The suspect who hit Bright rushed toward her. 

Malcolm scanned the floor for his weapon and found it, ten feet away. The third suspect, standing in front of the girls, followed his eye line. They both paused for a moment, staring each other down, before Malcolm dove forward. It took only a second for him to grab the gun, and roll over. But by the time he did, his enemy was standing over him, his own weapon pointing down at him. 

“Last warning,” the profiler said calmly. “Put it down.” 

“You’re talking shit from the floor? Really?” 

Malcolm’s hands were steady, as he lay there looking up, “This doesn’t have to end with you taking a bullet.” When he finished the sentence he heard Dani cry out. Punches were connecting with flesh. 

The man above him pulled the hammer of his pistol back. Malcolm didn’t hesitate. When he pulled the trigger, the man faltered three steps before falling backward. His hands were grasping his chest as his shirt filled with red. Bright ran to him, kicking his gun out of reach, then turned to find Dani. 

Her gun was on the floor. Luckily, so was the suspect’s. As they threw punches at each other, Malcolm’s weapon was raised, ready to fire again as soon as the shot was clear. 

“Freeze!” he yelled. The assailant ignored him completely, continuing to throw blows at Dani. She’d blocked a good number of them, at least the ones aimed at her face. Malcolm holstered his gun. If he couldn't get a clear shot, then he could at least tackle the guy.

Before he had the chance, the suspect landed a jab. Dani stumbled and the man grabbed her. In an instant his arm was around her neck, pulling her against him in a choke hold. 

Malcolm drew his gun once more, staring at the suspect down the sight as he spoke, “Let her go.” 

Dani tugged at the man’s forearm, trying desperately to get air. Malcolm knew he only had a few seconds before she would lose consciousness. However, his quarry was wisely hiding behind her head. 

“Release her now and I won’t kill you.” 

Dani frantically pulled at any part of the man she could. 

_ Take the bait. Take the bait. _

The man’s eyes widened at Malcolm’s hubris, “Your partner’s about to choke out and you have no clear shot.” As he spoke the words, Dani’s body went limp. Her head fell to the side; that was all the clearance Malcolm needed. He fired immediately. Gil and JT burst into the room, as the man’s head whipped back. Both he and Dani fell to the floor with a thud.  __

Malcolm flew to her, while the TAC team rushed to the kidnapped girls. Gil and JT saw to the conscious suspect.

“Dani?” Malcolm’s trembling fingers pressed against her neck. Relief washed over him, when he felt her pulse. 

She groaned softly. 

“Hey.” He held her head steady as she came to. “It’s me. It’s Bright. You’re okay.”

Her eyes gradually opened. It took her a moment to remember where she was. 

“The girls?” 

The words were so mumbled he could barely understand them. 

“They’re fine. TAC is with them.” 

“Good.” Dani closed her eyes and continued taking slow deep breaths. 

Malcolm fell back, off of his knees, into a seated position and ran his hands through his hair. Adrenaline had thrown his whole system into overdrive; his hands were shaking uncontrollably, his breaths were shallow, and his heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his toes. He raised his head and took stock of the room around him: two dead, one wounded, and Dani recovering from a choke hold. All things considered they were incredibly lucky with the outcome. Things could have gone far worse. The image of Dani’s body going limp flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the vision away.

To his right, the rescued girls were hugging each other. A small crooked smile flashed across his face as he watched them wipe away tears of joy. Next to him, Dani sat up. She cleared her throat, while gently rubbing her neck.

Despite his calm demeanor at the time, Malcolm had never been more terrified than when he watched Dani desperately grabbing at the suspect’s arm around her neck. She could easily have died tonight. A fact he wasn’t going to let her forget. 

That, the two dead suspects, all of it could have been avoided had they just waited. 

JT left for the hospital with the only suspect who was still breathing. Gil walked him to the door of the room, then turned on his heels, glaring at the duo sitting on the floor. He was halfway across the room, when an EMT crouched down in front of Malcolm. 

“Sir, can I take a look at that wound?” 

“What wound?” 

With everything that had happened since, and the assist from the adrenaline, Malcolm completely forgot he was bleeding. Dani eyed him guiltily as the EMT inspected the damage. ”What’s your name?”

“Malcolm Bright.” 

The medic shined a light in his eyes as he continued questioning him, “Your address?” 

“214 Lafayette street.”

“What day is it?” 

“Tuesday.” 

“Well the good news is you don’t seem to be exhibiting symptoms of a concussion. But it looks like you might need a stitch or two,” he admitted. 

Malcolm frowned slightly, “What are the chances I could get by with just cleaning it and letting it heal?” 

“The official answer? ‘You should go to the hospital.’ Truthfully: that’s what I would do.”

“Perfect.” 

Once the medic was done disinfecting the cut, and another had checked Dani’s vitals, Gil swooped in. 

“You two, with me.” He turned and exited the room. 

Without looking at each other, Dani and Malcolm followed. The lieutenant chose the second door on the left, checked the room, and motioned for them to enter. As soon as they all crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind them and Gil started shouting. 

“Exactly what part of ‘Hold until we’re there’ was DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?!”

Malcolm quickly glanced at Dani out of the corner of his eyes. She was staring stubbornly at Gil, but didn’t respond. 

“Did your radios simultaneously malfunction?” 

Again, neither of them spoke. 

“Selective mutism will not get you out of this, so you both had better start answering me!” Gil’s arm flew up in frustration, pointing at Malcolm, “Bright? Did you hear the order?” 

Dani shifted uncomfortably, as he answered, “Yes.” 

Gil turned to her, “Did you?” 

“Yes.” 

“THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU IGNORE A DIRECT ORDER?”

Malcolm lowered his head and literally bit his tongue to keep quiet. The fact that he was getting chewed out right now was infuriating. He tried to stop Dani from going in. When she went anyway, he shot two armed suspects and took a blow to the head to save her ass. Thus far, it appeared that she didn’t intend to take any responsibility for that decision. 

Be that as it may: she was his partner. They sank or swam together. And he had no intention of ratting her out. 

Gil had one hand on his hip and the other was running, exasperatedly, through his hair. 

“No one wants to talk?” He looked back and forth between them, “Fine. You’re both suspended.” 

“What?!” their shocked questions exited in unison. 

“I suggest you use the time off to review the hierarchy of command!” 

Malcolm was livid. He shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with Dani. 

When Gil turned to exit she finally broke, “Wait!” She paused for a moment before continuing, “It was me.” 

The lieutenant turned slowly, Dani’s confession doing nothing to quell any of his anger. 

“I’m the one who ignored the order. Bright tried to stop me, but I went in anyway.” 

Gil was in front of her in an instant, “Do you have any idea how reckless that was?! You put those girls in even more danger. And you ALMOST GOT YOURSELF KILLED! If Bright didn’t have your back, you’d be in a body bag right now. You get that right? If he hadn’t followed you,” he leaned close and accented each word with a hand in her face, “You. Would. Be. Dead. He saved your ass. You owe him. BIG TIME!”

Dani swallowed. Malcolm could tell she was dying to defend her actions, but restrained herself. He knew his partner well enough to know she absolutely resented the fact that she needed saving, and that she would likely lash out at him later out of embarrassment. But, truthfully, their mentor was right. And he wasn’t about to grin and bear her ire after everything that just happened. 

Gil turned away from Dani in a huff and paced back and forth for a few moments, “Both of you, go back to the precinct, debrief, and turn in your weapons for FDI. Before you leave for the night, we’re finishing this discussion.” 

* * *

Dani silently stewed the entire ride back, bouncing her leg and throwing Malcolm aggravated glances constantly. He refused to acknowledge her. When they arrived at the precinct, they were each escorted, per procedure, to the conference room by a detective. The first thing they had to do was relinquish their weapons. Dani jerked her gun from its holster and dropped it haphazardly into the evidence bag. Try as he might, Malcolm couldn’t suppress a huffed laugh at her adolescent passive aggressiveness. 

“Something funny?” she asked. 

He didn’t even look up, as he placed his own gun into the bag his detective was holding out. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, while he ripped open the velcro of his vest and pulled it over his head. 

Dani turned to face him, removing hers as well, “If you’ve got something to say to me, just say it.” 

Malcolm pressed his hands together and brought them up to his lips. Then he extended them forward, palms up, in frustration, “Now is not the time or the place for this discussion.”

“You’re not my superior. Don’t talk down to me.”

“Then, stop acting childish,” he retorted. 

The detective who escorted Dani chimed in, “Uh. You guys aren’t supposed to be communicating right now.” 

Malcolm opened his hand and gestured toward the man in agreement. 

Dani, however, wasn’t anywhere near finished with the conversation, “Please. I’d love to hear your notes on the numerous ways I screwed up today.” 

He scoffed, “It’s not like that and you know it.” 

“Then how is it. Bright? Explain it to me. Because I’m confused as to how you get away with skirting orders constantly, but the first time I do, I get my ass completely reamed. How does that work?”

“What the hell are you talking about, Dani?”

The second detective attempted to deescalate the situation, “Really though. You’re not supposed to be communicating until you’ve filled out the reports.

Neither of them even acknowledged that the woman had spoken. 

Dani continued on her tirade, “You NEVER call for backup. You just walk straight into these crazy situations whenever you want and all you get, if anything, is a slap on the wrist.” 

Malcolm raised his voice, “When I do that, the only person who’s in danger is me! When have I EVER put your life in danger, Dani? Hmm? Not a single time and you know it.” 

The detectives, having given up trying to dispel the argument, watched it play out from the corner of the conference room. 

Dani stepped closer to Malcolm, eyeing him defiantly. Behind them, Gil snuck through the half open conference room door and paused, listening. 

Dani was fuming, “Don’t turn this around, Bright!”

“No. I absolutely am turning this around! You tell me one time I’ve made a decision like that. Where you had to follow me in blind, and kill two suspects to keep us both out of the morgue. You’re welcome, by the way!”

Dani glared at him, “I’m sorry. Did I not thank you fast enough?!”

“For fuck’s sake,” Malcolm leaned on the conference table. “I don’t need my ego stroked, Dani. But, I’m not going to sugarcoat the truth either. You’re going to have to live with the fact that you made the wrong call today. We both could have easily died because of it. Luckily, we didn’t. But, two of the suspects did. And now that’s something  _ I’m _ going to have to live with.” 

Before Dani could respond, Gil stepped in, “Enough.” Both of them turned, surprised by the lieutenant's presence. He looked over at the two defeated detectives in the corner, “Give us the room.” 

When the door closed behind them, Gil gestured to the chairs on opposite sides of the conference table, “Sit.” 

Malcolm walked around the table and took the farthest seat. Neither of them made eye contact as they waited for Gil. 

“Apparently following orders is not on today’s menu. You were told ‘no communication’ were you not?” When neither of them would look at him, he continued. “Powell, you screwed up. Plain and simple.” 

She sat up in her chair, “I checked the room! All three of the suspects were right in front of us.”

Malcolm cut in, “Yeah. And then they weren’t. Which, if I recall, led to a gash on the back of my head and you in a choke hold.”

“Well if you hadn’t delayed our entry they would have still been there and I wouldn’t have ended up in the hold in the first place.” 

“That’s your argument? Really? And how do you not know escape techniques for a choke hold? That’s self defense 101.”

“I said ENOUGH!” Gil pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bright’s right. You should know how to do that. And since the two of you clearly have some issues to hash out, that’s how you’ll be spending your one-day, unpaid, suspension: in the gym, getting whatever the hell this is out of your systems. Don’t come back to work until it’s handled,” he turned to Malcolm, “and you’ve taught Dani how to properly evade a choke hold.” 

The two of them sat, mouths agape at their punishment.

“Now fill out your reports,  _ silently _ , and go home.”

Malcolm and Dani watched in shock as Gil, quite pleased with his verdict, exited the conference room. 


	2. Chapter 2

Malcolm leaned against the wall in head-to-toe black athletic clothing, phone in hand. It was 8:25 am. The gym was small, but relatively busy for its size. Twelve other people were there, making their way around the weights or jogging on the row of treadmills. 

Dani was twenty-five minutes late. The only person he knew who was more punctual than he was, was almost a half hour late. That was no accident. At best, she was making a statement. At worst, she had no intention of showing up at all. Either way, Malcolm grew angrier with each minute that ticked by. 

The ten hours that had passed since their argument at the precinct had done precious little to alleviate his frustration with Dani. The fact that she blatantly refused to acknowledge her error, or even feign remorse at this point, was exasperating.

Malcolm checked his phone again, then read his two previous texts. Both remained unanswered. 

_ 8:05 The guy at the desk has your name. Open floor is all the way in the back.  _

_ 8:20 Are you still coming? _

He typed a third. 

_ 8:27 If I don’t hear from you, I’m leaving in three minutes.  _

Two minutes and fifty-one seconds later, Dani walked through the door. Malcolm heard it open, but couldn’t see it from where he stood. When she turned the corner of the desk, he laid his phone next to the water bottle he’d sat by the wall, and crossed his arms. Her eyes scanned the room until she found him waiting in the back. 

Malcolm clenched his jaw, while she weaved through the equipment to get back to him. She wore grey joggers and an NYPD t-shirt that had been cropped halfway through the department’s patch logo. It annoyed him that she’d probably spent more time picking out a shirt that showed off half of her abs than she did attempting to make it on time. Granted, they were abs worth showing, but that was irrelevant. When Dani reached the back, she walked right past him and sat her stuff down next to his on the floor. His eyes followed her until they couldn’t any longer; he refused to turn his head. 

When she returned to stand in front of him her eyes met his defiantly. Malcolm ran his tongue over his teeth, “You’re late.” 

She crossed her arms to match his, “And every minute you bitch about it delays this even longer. Can we just get it over with?”

“Fine.” He walked towards her, and she reversed, “I need to be behind you, Dani. That’s how a choke hold works, in case you’ve forgotten in the past,” he looked at his watch, “twelve hours.” 

She grinned sarcastically as he walked around her, “That’s funny.” 

“Nothing about this is funny.” He aligned his body behind her and brought his arm around to the front. “As soon as you feel the attacker’s arm coming around, the first thing you need to do is bring your chin down. Protect your air flow and keep your windpipe from being crushed.”

Dani did as she was instructed, pushing her back into him. Malcolm adjusted his stance prior to continuing. 

“Before they have a chance to tighten the hold, bring both of your arms up, one on my wrist and one near my elbow. Then, you take a big step in the direction of the attacker’s main arm. If they use their right arm, step to the right.” 

Her hands grabbed Malcolm’s forearm in the proper places and she moved her right leg out slightly.

“Bigger step,” he moved his leg between hers and tapped the inside of her right foot, nudging it out further.

A few of the other gym goers were watching them, as they continued. 

“If your attacker is a male, the next thing you do is bring your left arm down and hit him in the groin.” 

Malcolm knew Dani well enough to know what was coming. He jerked backward just in time to miss her “instructed” hit.

“Predictable,” he muttered, warily inching closer to her. “Once you hit him, he will likely do one of two things: he will either let you go or he will double over in pain. That’s when you bring that same left elbow up and hit him in the face.” 

This time Dani made the move gently. 

“Good. Let’s try all of that in slow motion once.” 

Dani grinned mischievously as Malcolm stepped back, knowing that he had no way of seeing it. He wrapped his arm around her slowly and she did everything he told her to. In spite of her sneakiest efforts, he was again prepared for her attempt at revenge. When she brought her left hand back toward his groin and didn’t stop, Malcolm quickly grabbed it and pinned it high behind her back. He tightened his other arm around her neck just enough to make his point. 

“If you think I’m stupid enough to leave that particular area vulnerable, then we have bigger issues than I thought,” he still hadn’t released her arm or neck from his clutches. 

“It kinda feels like that area might be vulnerable already,” Dani quipped.

“Cute.” Despite his anger and frustration with her, Malcolm adjusted his stance again, for very different reasons this time. “Are you going to take this seriously? We both know there’s a good chance Gil is actually going to test you on this. I’m not getting an extended suspension because you can’t get this shit right.” 

“I’m a cop, Bright. I know how to fight and defend myself. I went through hand-to-hand just like you did.” 

“Did you pay the same amount of attention? Because that would explain a lot.” He released his grip and she turned, furious.

“That’s right. I completely forgot that you’ve made zero mistakes in your career. That’s why you got that promotion to Deputy Director of the FBI. Oh, wait.” Her hand went to her hip and she tilted her head.

Malcolm glared at her. That one actually hurt, not that he would ever let her see that. The irritation outweighed the shot to his pride anyway. Dani was slowly fanning the flames of his pent up anger and she was about to rue the impending backdraft.

“You know, this particular shade of petty isn’t really working for you, Danielle.” He turned and rubbed his forehead. Malcolm knew the full name would set her off. Was it ironic, given his comment? Probably. Did he care? Not one bit.

Dani crossed her arms and stuck her hip out. Then, she threw her hand in front of her as she replied, “Well, you’re wearing your usual smug pretension, so I thought I’d dress to match.” 

He turned and laughed sarcastically, “Oh really? What happened to last-night’s ignorant and reckless ensemble? Too much blood splatter from the bullet I had to put in a man’s forehead to save your unconscious ass?” Malcolm threw his hands up in mock confusion and strode toward her with purpose, “But that can’t be right. You know how to defend yourself!” 

Behind her, the majority of the people in the gym were gawking openly at them. He couldn’t have cared less.

Dani stared daggers at him, then threw the first punch. Malcolm swatted it away like she was a bothersome child. Her opposite fist came next. This time he caught her wrist and held it firmly. He met her gaze and rolled his eyes dramatically, before again pinning her arm behind her back and wrapping his free arm around her neck.

As he predicted, Dani failed to get her chin in the right position in time or shift her stance to have a clear shot to the groin. He pulled her snugly against him and she was stuck. 

Malcolm put only a tiny amount of pressure on her neck, “Anytime you’re ready to start defending yourself, let me know.”

Dani tried to wiggle free, to no avail. Then, she fought his hold the only way she could: by flinging her hips back and using her ass to hit him in the groin. It might not have done the damage her fist would have, but it worked nonetheless. Malcolm tensed, and bent over slightly, releasing her in the process. She jerked away, mumbling under her breath, and turned to face him again. 

He was already standing upright. Thankfully the contact had been more surprising than painful. It didn’t help that, even through his anger, that particular area was getting a lot of attention, both verbal and physical. “Points for creativity. But you still let yourself get put in the hold.” 

Dani was plotting another attack. Malcolm could practically see the wheels turning in her head. He watched her eyes, as he waited patiently for her to continue. After a moment’s deliberation, she attempted a jab to his ribs, which he easily blocked. 

“Your eyes give you away. You’re telegraphing your next move.” 

“So what am I supposed to do? Not look at you?” Dani snapped. 

“They didn’t teach you this stuff when you took hand-to-hand?”

She pursed her lips and continued to try and connect a punch. After several minutes of him repeatedly brushing off her attempts, Dani growled in frustration. She was clearly tired, frustrated, and already anxious to be done for the day. Truth be told so was he. Her hands rested on her hips as she caught her breath. Malcolm couldn’t help but notice the beads of sweat that now appeared on her stomach, the way they ran down from her waist to the band of her pants, gliding over her skin before disappearing under clothing.

Before he could stop it, he imagined following the line of the sweat with his tongue. Somehow, he could actually taste the mixture of salt and Dani’s scent in his mouth. His cock twitched as he tried to blink away the image. 

“Obviously you need to look at me,” he answered, trying to distract himself from his traitorous imagination. “But you can’t stare at the place you're targeting right before you attack it. There’s no element of surprise there. You have to be more covert. If I look here,” he stared dramatically at her eyes, “then I attack here.” He pretended to punch her side, resting his hand on her waist afterward. “If I look here,” this time his eyes focused on her torso, “then I attack here.” His opposite hand was at her throat, his fingers squeezing ever so slightly to make his point. 

Dani grabbed the wrist of the hand at her neck, “Then, I do this.” She bent it backward. Before she could bend it far enough to really hurt, Malcolm jerked his arm out of her grasp and used his free hand to pin it behind her back again. He immediately put her in a third choke hold that she failed to defend. Just for emphasis, he hit the back of her knees, forcing them to buckle to the ground. Malcolm knelt behind her, still holding her neck and arm, and leaned into her ear.

“You don’t have to take this seriously. That’s fine. But I’m not going to keep following you blindly into battle and end up getting terminally caught in the crossfire of your lapse in judgement. And I’m sure as hell not going to watch you get yourself killed either.” He practically threw her pinned arm down and stood as he released her neck. 

Dani was irate. She stuck her leg out and spun on her knees, whipping Malcolm’s legs out from under him. He landed with a harsh thud and she quickly grabbed his arm and held it firmly between her knees, one of which was leaning on his neck.

“Oh but I have to watch you throw yourself into life-threatening situations daily and just suck it up? Is that it?” 

Malcolm’s free arm was pushing against her knee, trying to alleviate some of the pressure. He managed to choke out his reply, “I will always put the victims before myself.” 

“So will I! We got those girls didn’t we?!” Dani shifted her weight to the knee that was on the gym floor. Malcolm immediately took advantage and pushed her over, hard, onto her back. In a flash he was on top of her, his body weight pinning her down. Next to her head, his left arm supported his weight; his right hand was again at her neck, squeezing just enough to make his point. 

Malcolm didn’t return her volume in his response. The hand at her neck was shaking, as his words exited in a calm fury, “Only after you gave me the option of either disobeying a direct order or walking in later to find your fucking corpse.” 

He held his hand at her throat, the angry tremor in it gradually spreading out to the rest of his limbs. Dani’s breaths were quick. He could feel her heartbeat in her throat; it was racing almost as fast as his own. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of ire and something else he couldn’t exactly place. 

Malcolm pushed himself off of her. For a moment, she didn’t move. As he ran his hands through his hair, Dani sat up. 

“Lesson over. Either you pass or you don’t. Honestly, I could use another day off after this.” He walked over, grabbed his phone, and headed toward a rear exit door that Dani hadn’t even noticed. When he reached it, Malcolm slammed it open so hard, everyone in the gym froze and stared. She grabbed her own things and quickly followed after him. 

Malcolm exited into the alley behind the gym and immediately started pacing. His anger was getting the best of him. The rage that was surging through him was frightening and, quite frankly, something he hadn’t experienced before. He couldn’t figure out why he’d gone from zero to livid in 1.6 seconds. The fact that he didn’t even remember getting on top of Dani, scared him. One minute her knee was at his throat and the next thing he knew his hand was on hers. She was under his skin so badly that he was practically blacking out. 

When she burst through the exit door, he looked up and huffed in annoyance. Of course she followed him. 

“You wanna talk about whatever the hell this is?” She gestured up and down in his direction, while he paced back and forth. He stopped for a second at her comment, glared at her, then continued. “Fine. I’ll start. Your double standard is infuriating.” 

Once again, Malcolm froze in place, his head slowly turning toward her, “My double standard?”

Dani gave an exaggerated nod, “Yes.”

He turned his entire body toward her and took slow deliberate steps as he spoke, his voice gradually raising, “I told you. The victims will always come first. Yes, I put myself in harm's way sometimes, but it’s always in the name of helping to save someone. To put the killers away for good. And I have NEVER put you in a life threatening situation as a result of my decisions, because I ACTUALLY GIVE A SHIT!”

By the time he finished, he was inches from Dani. After his last sentence, her head jerked back like he’d struck her. “I don’t give a shit?!”

Malcolm shrugged, “Do you?”

Without hesitation, Dani smacked him so hard his head whipped to the side. Furious tears welled in her eyes, as he gradually turned his head back toward her. Her hand twitched, angrily. “Fuck you,” she spat, raising it for a second round. 

Malcolm grabbed her wrist, so she attempted with her left hand instead. He grabbed that one too. They glared at each other as he pushed her back four feet, until she hit the brick of the building hard. He held her against the wall, his hands pinning her wrists beside her head. Malcolm’s breaths stuttered as he tried to calm himself down, his eyes never leaving hers. She returned his defiant gaze, through stubbornly squinted eyes. 

Without warning, her head lurched forward and her lips met his, almost violently. Malcolm instantly pushed back against her, causing her head to hit the wall, but she didn’t care. Electricity surged through him as the kiss continued. Suddenly, he pulled back to look at her. Both of them were breathing like they’d just run a marathon, after a single kiss. His eyes found hers, then drifted lustfully down the rest of her body, before returning to meet her hooded gaze. Dani licked her lips and he lost what little control he had. 

He kissed her again. This time her mouth immediately opened and he found her tongue with his. She tasted like raspberries - the flavored water she’d brought with her. His cock twitched at the taste and Malcolm pressed himself against her. Every nerve ending in his entire body was charged, ready to spark anywhere they touched. He was on fire, and she was the only thing that could quench it.

Malcolm released one of her wrists so he could feel her body. Her liberated hand was wrapped around him in no time, her nails digging into his back through his shirt. As his lips left hers to trail down her neck, Malcolm’s hand snaked beneath her shirt. He slid under her bra and cupped her breast, before teasing her pert nipple between his fingers. Her hips bucked involuntarily at the sensation, causing her to grind against him. 

He groaned in her ear at the contact, and squeezed the wrist he still had pinned against the wall. Malcolm could feel her pulse in his palm; much like his own, it had skyrocketed. He pressed against her further and Dani lifted her leg up. The hand pinning her released her wrist to grab her leg behind the knee, and keep it there. He rubbed against her, the lifted leg allowing for more precise contact, and Dani moaned. Her hands slid down his back and found the waistband of his sweats, inching it down. 

Malcolm didn’t hesitate. His hands found hers too, as they raced to get each other's clothes out of the way. Neither of them cared that it was the middle of the morning work commute. Or that they were up against a brick wall, in an alley, in broad daylight. All that mattered was satisfying the hunger that had taken over both of them. 

Their lips met again and Dani grabbed the back of his neck. Malcolm lifted her off the ground and pushed forward, filling her completely. She moaned into his mouth and he bit her lip in response. Her legs wrapped around him as he held her up, pinning her to the wall with each thrust. He took her roughly, pistoning into her as though he could only find his release if he reached the absolute deepest parts of her. Dani leaned her head back against the wall, her eyes rolling backward, as her bare skin scraped the brick. With each pump he kept hitting all the right places, the knot in her stomach had tightened to the point of tortuous pleasure.

Malcolm continued rutting into Dani like an animal, desperately trying to get deeper, to sate the craving for her. But it was never enough. His climax kept building, almost painfully, but never permitting him the release he so frantically searched for. Dani’s body tightened around him, her arms, her legs, her core. He knew she was close. The thought of bringing her to climax, of feeling it from the inside, sent a rush of dopamine through his system and he thrust harder. When he did, Dani’s quiet moans shifted to all out wanton cries. The sounds escaping her were the most erotic thing he’d ever heard. 

Malcolm’s hair fell in front of his face, drenched in sweat. He couldn’t contain himself as he finally felt the beginnings of his impending release. He grunted against her neck. 

Dani whispered, “Don’t stop,” breathily into his ear, between moans, and it took everything in him not to finish instantly. He did as she requested, keeping the same force and pace, as she continued to tighten around him. Malcolm reached up, grabbed her hair, and pulled it, tilting her head.

“Cum for me,” he whispered back to her, “I want to feel you, Dani.” 

As if his words were her body’s command, she obeyed, convulsing around him immediately. He buried his face in her neck, reveling in the feeling of her contracting around him. As she started to come down, he sped back up, pounding into her forcefully as her climax finished. Finally, his own pleasure won out. He groaned as he pushed into her, his release coming in spasms. 

Malcolm kept his head buried in Dani’s collarbone for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. Her chest heaved against his as well, and her arms hadn’t loosened their grip. Eventually, the euphoria started to dissipate and he carefully lowered her back to the ground, each of them quickly re clothing themselves. 

Dani’s fingers absent-mindedly went to her lips, as she replayed the events in her head. Malcolm’s hands found his hair once again and slowly ran through it, doing the same. Neither of them looked at each other as they tried to process what just occurred. They both looked genuinely confused, as though they had no idea how it happened. 

Malcolm was the first to look up. He watched as Dani stared, unfocused at the ground. Then, her eyes flew up and met his, completely freezing him. She looked just as shocked as he was. Once, he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He furrowed his eyebrows, as a perplexed huff was all that exited.

They stood there, two feet apart, staring bewildered at each other, for some time. Neither of them knowing what to say. Or where to go from here. 


	3. Chapter 3

_ She looked just as shocked as he was. Once, he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He furrowed his eyebrows, as a perplexed huff was all that exited. _

_ They stood there, two feet apart, staring bewildered at each other, for some time. Neither of them knowing what to say. Or where to go from here. _

  
  


A hundred different thoughts battled for prominence in Malcolm’s mind. They flashed in and out of his cognition like psychological bolts of lightning. The entire time he was searching Dani’s eyes, her mannerisms, for anything he could profile. 

Nothing. 

Whether that was due to her astounding ability to hide her emotions in this moment, or the fact that his capacity to cognitively process information had up and vanished, he didn’t know. 

He knew he needed to say something, anything. When he opened his mouth, the only thing that exited was a faint and confused, “Uh.” 

The sound seemed to wake Dani from a trance. Her eyes focused and, for the first time in what had to be multiple silent minutes, they broke eye contact. She looked around them, seemingly taking in their surroundings for the first time. Malcolm did the same, thankful that he didn’t find any people or security cameras within view. 

Dani couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands. They went from her pockets, to crossed over her chest, to tugging at the cropped hem of her shirt, trying to cover more of her stomach. 

For the first time, Malcolm could read her. She was embarrassed. 

As he continued to watch her intently, he tried to retrace the events that led them there. 

_ How did that even happen? _

None of it made any sense. One minute they were snapping at each other, and so heated that they almost got in an actual physical altercation. And the next, they were in the alley, against a brick wall, her legs wrapped around him, while she begged him not to stop. 

There were holes in his memory, places where he literally couldn’t remember how one moment led to the next. He had never been so angry, to the point of practically blacking out. Then all that rage completely shifted in an instant, and nothing else mattered but chasing his release with her body. 

Malcolm cleared his throat, and forced himself to speak, “Dani--”

“I have to go.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke. Her arms crossed in front of her again and she sped past him, eyes on the pavement. 

He resisted the urge to reach out and grab her arm, “Wait.” 

Dani stopped, but didn’t turn around. 

“We need to talk about this,” he tried to mask the desperation in his voice, but failed miserably. 

For a moment he thought she was going to stay. Then, her head lowered and she repeated, “I have to go,” before continuing down the alley and turning onto the sidewalk. 

Guilt washed over Malcolm like an ominous black wave. Images of the two of them flashed behind his eyes. He scanned them for anything he might have done to hurt her. He knew he hadn’t been thinking clearly, in fact many moments were still blurry at best. Fear joined the guilt and the two emotions danced a nauseating tango throughout his system.

Malcolm stared blankly at the end of the alley. Pedestrians flitted by, en route to work, oblivious to his presence. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at the brick wall in front of him. Echos of the sounds Dani made filled his ears. He could taste her skin on his lips, feel her nails digging into his back, feel her body’s response to his final command. 

_ Dani _ . 

Dani’s body. His partner. His best friend. 

_ “I have to go.” _

Her refusal to look at him, as she fled. 

Malcolm buried his face in his hands. Then ran them slowly through his hair. 

_ Fuck.  _

* * *

All the lights in the apartment were off, with the exception of one of the bedside lamps. Malcolm sat on the stairs, facing his door, gazing into the final remaining drink of what had been a full pour of whiskey twenty minutes ago. He brought the cool glass to his lips and downed the amber contents in one long gulp. As he swallowed, the cool tingling turned to heat, coating his throat in liquid fire. Malcolm sat the empty tumbler next to him on the fourth step and stared at the back of his door. 

Seven. Seven times he had tried to muster up the courage to stand, exit his apartment, and go find her. Fear paralyzed him. He was terrified of what she might say when he found her. Dani was the closest friend he had ever had. Malcolm confided in her, told her things he told no one else, without even thinking about it. He trusted her with his life, which is why he reacted the way he did yesterday, when she tossed that trust aside. And now all that was likely ruined. 

He rested his elbows on his knees, and his hands under his chin. 

_ How could I be so stupid?  _

A heavy sigh escaped him. His chest was tight when he inhaled. His eyes closed slowly, as he tried to think of a way to fix what he’d done. They flew back open immediately when a soft knock came at the door. Malcolm waited, sure he had imagined the sound. Another knock, louder this time, resonated throughout his loft. 

A quick glance through the peephole confirmed his suspicion: it was Dani. 

Malcolm took another deep breath before opening the door, “Hi.” 

Dani shifted her weight uncomfortably, “Hi. Can we talk?” 

He nodded and opened the door further, gesturing for her to come in. Dani went straight to the island, pulling out one of the chairs and taking a seat. Malcolm went straight to the wet bar, pouring himself a second glass of whiskey. He sat it on the counter next to the stove, grabbed her a bottle of water from the fridge, and handed it to her from across the island. He almost offered her something stronger. If ever there was a time she would be likely to accept, it was now. But he knew why his partner refused to drink and he would never tempt her otherwise. 

“Thanks,” she opened and immediately downed a fourth of it. Afterward, she picked at the label and Malcolm studiously examined his liquor, neither of them knowing where to even think about beginning this conversation. 

After an almost painfully-long awkward silence, Dani spoke first. 

“I’m sorry I left the way I did.” 

Malcolm’s head whipped up at her statement. 

“It was just a lot to process. And I needed to be… not there.” 

He nodded, “I understand.” 

Dani’s gaze shifted from the bottle in her hand up to Malcolm, and lingered, “I need you to know that I don’t regret what happened. I mean, it was obviously what we both wanted.” 

Malcolm’s eyebrows shot up, and he chuckled. He pondered a second before responding, “Well, you’re not wrong.” He brought his glass to his mouth, “That was--,” and stopped abruptly, having not intended to actually say the thought aloud. He stared at Dani’s curious face over the rim of the tumbler.

“That was?” She prodded, half snickering.

He took a sizable drink; at this point he’d already committed. Malcolm swirled the whiskey in his glass, as he admitted, “I was going to say ‘carnal’.” 

Their eyes locked for a brief moment before they each looked down at the counter. They were both doing the same thing: attempting to dispel the vivid memories that were popping into their heads, and failing miserably.

A blush spread up Dani’s neck. She bit her lips, trying to contain the smile that was slowly spreading across her face. It was infectious. 

Malcolm couldn’t help but mimic her as he asked, “What?”

“That was just… I don’t know… not how I imagined you to be.”

It was her turn to realize that she’d stuck her foot in her mouth. Her lips scrunched to one side as she bit the inside of her cheek, inwardly chastising herself for her unfiltered statement. 

Malcolm, on the other hand, was grinning like a cheshire cat, “You’ve imagined what I would be like?”

“Shut up. You know what I meant.” 

She still refused to look at him. That was all the confirmation he needed and he sipped his whiskey again, triumphantly. 

After the laughter and minor embarrassment settled, Malcolm felt the mood in the room shift. 

Dani raised her eyes to his, “The thing is...”

“It can never happen again,” he finished. 

Worry filled her face, “Yeah.” 

“I know,” he replied, nodding his head slightly. 

“You’re my best friend, Bright. I’m not sure when the hell that happened exactly, but you are. Between that and work, I just can’t risk things going south and everything falling apart.” Her breaths were shallow, as she waited for his response. She was afraid. Afraid that they’d already crossed into a place that they couldn’t come back from. Just as he had been. 

“I agree with you.” He made sure to look her directly in the eyes so there was no confusion about his stance. When she squinted, trying to profile him this time, he reiterated the point. “I honestly do, Dani. I don’t want to jeopardize what we have any more than you do. And I truly hope today hasn’t done that already.” 

She held her squinted suspicion for a moment longer, before seemingly believing him. “It hasn’t,” she reassured him. “It was just a moment of…,” she paused, again unable to finish the sentence. “Weakness” wasn’t the right word. 

“It was just a moment,” Malcolm suggested. “And that moment... ended.” 

“Right.” 

Another silent pause permeated the room. 

“A moment that stays between us?” Dani requested. 

He smiled, “Of course.” 

* * *

Malcolm was staring at the caseboard in the conference room, scouring the pictures taped there for clues he might have missed. As he turned to pick up a file from the table, Gil entered. 

“Morning,” the lieutenant said, raising his coffee mug in salute.

“Good morning,” he replied, never looking up from the file. 

“So, did you and Dani finally go at it yesterday?” 

Malcolm did a double take, his eyes were the size of saucers, “Excuse me?”

“You and Powell. The arguments. The defensive training that was required for you to return today.” 

The profiler couldn’t recover from his misinterpretation fast enough. “Oh,” was all he managed to reply. 

“Which you actually did. Correct?” Gil found his team member’s clipped response concerning. 

Malcolm shook off the cold chill that so quickly took over his extremities, “Yes. We did.”

“And Dani’s ready?” 

Gil’s line of questioning was starting to rouse his suspicions, “I certainly hope so.” He raised an eyebrow at his mentor, who merely winked and continued to sip his coffee. Malcolm was suddenly very aware of the fact that Dani had not once managed to evade any of his holds at the gym. 

At that moment, Dani and JT walked in together. They were mid-conversation about something that he had said to Tally over breakfast. Dani was delivering a concise list of reasons why Tally was right and JT was wrong. He seemed to be regretting having asked her opinion. They wrapped up their discussion and greeted the two men standing at the table. JT walked over to look at the caseboard, as Gil chatted with Dani. 

Before she had the chance to sit down, JT snuck up behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck. Malcolm jumped at the sudden commotion, but then instantly understood his boss’ interrogation moments earlier. 

Dani immediately lowered her chin, stepped out to the side, swung her arm back, hitting JT perfectly in the groin. The detective doubled over, leaning on the table for support, coughing, and groaning in misery. As soon as she realized what had just happened, Dani was bent over apologizing to him. He couldn’t manage to speak, but held up his hand as if to say “it’s fine”.

Malcolm stared at Dani in proud disbelief. 

_ She actually learned it.  _

He turned and looked at Gil. The obvious mastermind behind the stealth attack was doing everything he could to keep from laughing. He finally resorted to “drinking” his coffee, just to hide behind the mug. 

JT eventually regained his ability to move, and slowly turned toward the door. 

“I’m so sorry, JT. Seriously, it was just a reflex.” 

“It’s cool. You did what you were supposed to do,” he gingerly started walking, “I’m just gonna go throw up real quick.” 

At that, Gil couldn’t stifle his laughter any longer. JT extended his arm backwards on the way out the door and gave him the finger. 

Once the thwarted attacker was out of earshot, Gil praised Dani’s technique, “Nice work. Clearly yesterday was productive.” Dani’s eyes flashed to Malcolm’s for a millisecond, before Gil continued. “You two clear the air? Get whatever that was out of your systems?” 

The profiler’s eyes again widened. Dani, thankfully kept her composure. “Yeah,” she replied, “we’re good.” 

Malcolm gave her an affiliative smile, as she pulled out the chair and sat down. Gil did the same opposite her, and the two turned to face him, waiting to hear the profile. 


End file.
